Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 55 By David Lee
Warning: This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction. Much of this involves males with other males. If the reading or possessing of such material as this is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.
The author retains all rights to this original story. Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.
Disclaimer: This story is completely fictional. Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real life. Some may possess physical or personality characteristics of people I know or have known. But if you see yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine!
"Tales from Bentonville" is a romantic story centering on the lives of high school kids. Lovers of other ages may appear, but not normally in a cross-generational sense. References to sex with under-age kids may be made for the sake of the story line. However, I feel that child molestation is a crime and should not be glorified or tolerated.
This is my fifth attempt at writing fiction. My other stories on Nifty include: "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004) under High School, "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 23, 2004) under Camping, and "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004) under High School. Some characters from previous stories may have cameo roles in this one. However, you need not read them first.
Our only reward for contributing to Nifty is your e-mails. Please write if you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of your e-mail. I get a lot of spam!
Finally, thanks and hugs to Tim and Tom who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes!
dlee169@hotmail.com
Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 55
School had been underway for only a couple of weeks when the scout troop held a Court of Honor. At this event, Colt and Dane received their Eagle Scout badges. It was a moving ceremony that was held at their church on a Sunday evening. The Scout Master listed the various badges that the two had earned ending with a recounting of the successful Bible School program that they had headed up.
Not only were most of the members of their extended family present, but it looked like about half of the junior class had turned out. Lots of other friends from school were there along with a few from rival schools who had wrestled against Colt and considered him a friend as well as a worthy opponent.
Of course, Colt was moved that his mother and father had made the long drive for the occasion and that his step-fathers Dwayne and Roger were there too. All four of them stood with him as he accepted the badge from the scout master. He, in turn, presented his mother with a pin and gave each of the men a tie tack that said "Eagle Dad" on it. (He had talked to the leaders about ordering extras.) Everyone was moved by the gesture.
Dane was very proud that he had his parents and grandmother with him and that DJ loved him unconditionally. Although he was not the guy who would give his parents grandchildren, they cared for him completely and unreservedly. All of that went through his head in those moments of the solemn ceremony when it was his turn to receive the Eagle badge.
After the ceremony, there was a big celebration. Greta had wisely assumed that her grandsons were popular enough to draw a large crowd. She had ordered many dozens of cookies from a bakery in Cosgrove to augment the ones she had baked. She and Ellen had made gallons of punch to go with the cookies. The treats were wiped out nearly to the last crumb, but it seemed that everyone had been served.
Colt's mother and assorted "dads" had arrived late on Friday night and were leaving on Monday. Although the length of their visit was short, it was enjoyable. They had had some time together at the lake on the weekend. Joel had brought over the jet skis for them to use. He and Alex spent a quiet weekend at his grandparents' cottage mostly playing house and making love. They did, however, join in with the Johnson family for water skiing on Saturday.
Colt's mom had not water skied because she was afraid that the activity might cause her to miscarry. Yes, she was pregnant. She wasn't due until May, but she was being very careful to eat a sensible diet, avoid alcohol, and get good, but non-risky exercise.
Dwayne was very solicitous and protective of his wife. Colt sensed that his new step-father would be a loving and caring parent. He was happy for both of them.
Back at school on Monday, Colt, Dane, Alex, Joel, Allen, Dustin, and Dave all asked to have a meeting with Mr. Haggerty, the principal, at his early convenience. They were given an appointment at the end of classes that very afternoon.
At lunch, they discussed with the rest of their table-mates what their appointment was about.
"We are going to talk to Mr. Haggerty about starting an alliance of gay and straight kids at this school," Joel announced. "We'd like some of you to join if you are willing. We are well aware that those of you who attend may be in for some teasing -- both in fun and otherwise. You never know how some of the kids will react until it comes down to it. You know the tire slogan: `Where the rubber meets the road' and I'm not talking about condoms thrown out the window of someone's car." He snickered at his own unintended pun. "It's about preventing bullying. We could even broaden it someway to include all kids who get bullied, but you must remember that it is gay kids who suffer the most from attacks."
"I'm in," Jerry Sacksdorf announced. "I'm not gay, but I know what it is like to be bullied. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I don't care what other kids think one way or other as long as Carrie knows I'm straight."
Carrie agreed that she would support the club in whatever form it took. Trent said he would too, especially because of his brother. When he looked toward Sara for her opinion, she nodded in agreement. It was obvious that the lunch crowd would back the guys all the way.
On the way back to classes, Dane thanked Joel and Alex for waiting until after the Court of Honor to start pursuing the alliance.
"We wanted to make Eagle, but we wanted to openly participate in this too. We knew that if someone asked about our orientation that we wouldn't lie. Now, we can be honest."
"We're ready to come out too, if it happens," Dustin stated. "Dave has been okay with the idea for a year or so, but I've held back. Some of it was because of my mother, but I'm ready to be cut off from her if that's how it shakes down. I'm really sick of the treatment I'm getting at home -- not from Dad, of course."
Joel reached over and gave Dustin a shoulder-squeeze. He could readily empathize with him. Joel had grandparents to rescue him. Dustin was not so fortunate in that regard. He was pretty much stuck living with his mother unless someone took him in.
The discussion of creating a new organization took most of the lunch period.
Soon it was time to go back to classes. The afternoon moved rapidly despite the anticipation of meeting with the principal.
At the end of the day, Mr. Haggerty ushered seven guys into his office for a brief meeting. (Everyone had practice in a few minutes.) Joel took the lead, but all of the others contributed in the discussion too. The principal listened to their proposal, nodding thoughtfully while taking some notes. At the end, he summed up what he had heard and responded.
"Gentlemen, you have made a good case. As with all clubs that meet students' needs, I will approve this one. There may be some resistance by certain members of the school board, but I will handle that. They can't ban it without getting into a very sticky legal situation. I will be sure to remind them of that if there is any flack. You will need to find a staff member who is willing to be a sponsor. That is true of any organization on the campus. I hate to cut this meeting short, but I know you all have to get to activities and I have a staff meeting in a few minutes. If you think of anything else that you need from me, please put a note in my box or have my secretary make another appointment. I think you are doing something that needs to be done. I wish you success and you have my full support."
The boys scurried off to their practices feeling good about how their proposal had been received. They had been fairly sure that Mr. Haggerty would go that route, but yet they had been a bit nervous about the meeting. All agreed that Joel had been very professional and cool in his heading up the group. They urged him to run for president of the alliance once it was organized. He said that he would consider it if one of the junior classmen would be vice-president so the gavel could be passed without a break in leadership.
Darrin was summoned to school the following day to meet with Dan's teachers.
They were worried that Dan was not doing as well as he should be in school and wanted to get a handle on the situation before it got beyond salvaging. Darrin listened to their concerns knowing that he was not at liberty to tell the staff the reason behind Dan's listlessness. He knew that he was going to have to take some action since he was Dan's legal guardian and since Dan had no one but his brother and Darrin to look after his welfare. On the way home, he used his cell to call Lori Evans (Albers) to set up an appointment.
He was certain that Dan was depressed and he felt that Dr. Lori was the perfect person to deal with this since she knew a lot of the family history and also had a gay son of her own.
Toward the end of the week, Dan had his first appointment with Lori. He was quiet to the point of appearing sullen. Lori was not put off by his behavior because she had observed this kind of thing many times before. It was his defense against something that he did not want to face. She would break through that wall very soon.
"Level with me, Dan," she insisted. "What is it that is tearing you up inside? I can tell you are hurting. I want to help."
When Lori took his hand in hers as she said those words, Dan tried to pull back, but found that he could not. It wasn't that she could physically prevent it. After all, he was much bigger and stronger than she. However, there was an aura of caring and resolution in her that caused him to hesitate. Once he hesitated, he was lost (or possibly saved). He bit his lip trying not to become emotional, but that was in vain. Once a few tears escaped, there seemed to be no holding back the rest.
Dan sobbed for several minutes while Lori squeezed his shoulders as she would have for her own sons'. When he eventually regained his composure, he told her the whole story about his breakup with his boyfriend. He didn't give Cory's name because he was still loyal to his former lover. However, in a small school in a small town, it is impossible to hide everything. Lori had known that the two were exceptionally close.
"Dan, I'm going to prescribe something to ease your depression. I want you to promise me that you will have Darrin monitor your use of it. I'm not into drugging people or having any possibility of your becoming dependent on medication to solve all of your problems. There are some other things that I'm going to ask you to do to lift your spirits and get you feeling good again."
Lori's prescription for non-pharmaceutical therapy included exercise, diet, and social activities. She wanted to get Dan to be self-confident enough so that he could face the world whether alone or with a companion. She was pretty sure that his childhood experiences were as much to blame for his current funk as was the trauma of losing his boyfriend. There were many unresolved issues in his life.
Darrin had waited in the next room during the session and was there to take Dan home. It wasn't that he didn't trust Dan to keep the appointment; it had to do with letting him know that someone cared.
Dan embraced his guardian and gave him a weak smile. It wasn't a big breakthrough, but it gave Darrin hope.
Back at the house, Miss Charlotte announced that she and Emma had decided to postpone their move until after Christmas. She said that they didn't want to celebrate the holidays in a warm climate, but everyone suspected she was staying for Dan's sake.
Dan was of two minds about her declaration. On the one hand, he felt guilty for keeping her in Iowa, but on the other, he was pleased that she loved him enough to stay. John was right; she was like a grandma.
The core group of guys who were starting up the gay/straight alliance discussed plans with their lunch companions every day. They were casting about trying to decide which staff member would be most receptive to sponsoring the group. Several names came up, but most were put aside for one reason or other. Some had young children at home and couldn't be expected to take on more responsibilities. Others didn't take that much interest in student activities. Then there were the ones who were booked up with the coaching or sponsoring of other activities already.
"Hey," Dave said. "Why don't we ask Coach Heitz to be the sponsor?"
"Are you crazy?" Dustin asked. "He's a real jock besides being the football coach. He would probably run for cover if we asked, and he's got his hands full with football."
"Well, unless anyone objects to having him, I'm going to ask." Dave replied.
"He can't do any worse than turning me down. Besides, Alex said he is fine with the fact that his star quarterback is in love with another guy -- as long he it doesn't cause him to screw up his passing game."
No one put much stock in Dave's plan, but they said that it couldn't hurt to find out. So, Dave got permission to leave his history class five minutes early that afternoon so that he could catch the young coach during his preparation period.
Bart Heitz welcomed Dave into the social studies office and offered him a chair. Dave got right to the point.
"Mr. Heitz, some of us guys are starting a club and we'd like to ask you to be our sponsor. It's a gay/straight alliance and its main purposes would be to stop bullying in school and to be a forum where issues about orientation and life-styles can be openly discussed. We plan to educate the student body about the gay life, but we aren't out to recruit or try to turn straight kids into gay ones. We're all pretty sure that people are born one way or the other."
"Wow that is an undertaking!" Bart exclaimed. "I am impressed that high school kids would even do that. I used to attend an organization like that in college after my best buddy came out to me. I'm flattered that you would ask me. Many people see football coaches as stereotypical, hard-ass jocks. I'm pleased that you are giving me the benefit of the doubt. It will put a strain on my schedule, but I'll do it. I think that I owe it to guys like Alex after the way he got treated by Coach Crouser. Yeah, I'll do it."
"That is so cool, Mr. Heitz! Wait until I tell Alex and the rest of the guys. They are going to go ape!"
Bart grinned remembering how he and his friends had said: "ape-shit" when no adults were around to hear. He was pretty sure that guys still did that in some circles. Yeah, he didn't mind putting himself out for a good cause. If he could get most of the football team to accept that gays had a right to exist, it might go a long way toward making the world a safer place for guys like Alex and guys like his best friend from college. It was worth the extra time, even if it helped only one high school kid live without fear.
The early conversation at the lunch table the next day centered around the scores that Joel and Alex had attained on their college entrance exams. They had both done very well. Alex had improved his math score greatly. Joel had come out high across the board. Neither would have any problem being accepted into whatever college they settled on. Currently, they were looking at The University of Iowa and Notre Dame. Alex and Allen could play football in either institution. Both had very high academic standards and good reputations. However, Iowa State had the best program in architecture.
If that was to be Joel's pursuit, Alex was ready to put on a red and white jersey rather than a black and gold one.
Allen was still thinking about Madison Wisconsin. He and the young lady he had met at the beach were sending e-mails daily as well as IM-ing in the evening. It wasn't erotic thoughts or expressions of love, but they were finding out more about each other and liking what they found. They were steadily growing closer emotionally. Allen was in love...
Dave sat back smugly listening until talk about college plans wound down. Then he leaned in toward the center of the table and made his announcement.
"Well, I got him," he said.
"Got who?" Joel asked.
"Got whom?" Dane suggested.
"Got Bart Heitz," Dave smiled.
"You really asked the biggest jock hunk on campus to sponsor a gay club?" Carrie asked in amazement.
"Yup, and he didn't hesitate about accepting." Dave continued. "He was even honored that we would consider him."
"Wow!" Alex said shaking his head. "I knew that he was being super-nice to me despite my being gay, but I thought he was just trying to make sure I didn't think he was like Crouser."
"I got the feeling that he wants an entirely different reputation than old Buzzard-Breath, but that's not his main reason. He actually has a close friend who is gay."
"Hey, Dave, don't be disrespectful. Buzz Crouser may have been a jerk, but it's not nice to speak ill of the dead." Sara spoke up.
"With all due respect to your sensibilities, Sara, the man was a bastard! I would refer to him as something else, but I don't want to insult a very important and necessary exit portal in my digestive system. After what he did to Alex and Allen as well as his own family, `Buzzard-Breath' is the kindest term in my vocabulary!"
Sara wasn't thrilled with Dave's rebuke, but she kept her mouth shut realizing what a trauma some of the guys at the table had been through because of the man in question. She still didn't think it was nice to condemn someone who was deceased.
After dinner that evening, Nancy Fordham took her older son aside for a little talk.
"The attendance office called today to say that you weren't there part of the day. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Cory looked at the floor and muttered:
"Old Mrs. Hensley didn't see me in the back when she took attendance in LA. I'll get it straightened out tomorrow."
"And that same teacher error occurred in all of the rest of your afternoon classes?"
Cory knew he had been caught. He wasn't used to being dishonest, so it was difficult for him to have a comeback.
"Uh, I got sick and had to get out of there," he stammered.
"If that were the case, why didn't you go to the nurse and get a pass to come home? I'm guessing that Paige Northup cut the same classes."
Cory's eyes widened despite his efforts to be cool.
"From what I hear about her at the beauty parlor," Nancy went on, "she may not be the best influence on you."
"What are you saying, Mom! You can't keep me from seeing her."
"Be careful about telling me what I can or can't do, son. Do you really want to take me on?"
Cory's eyes looked down again. He knew his mother well enough to realize that he'd better keep his mouth shut. If he issued a challenge, she was likely to figure out a way to send him out of town to military school or a distant relative.
"Most mothers would be happy that their son isn't really gay and they would encourage him to go out with a nice-looking girl like Paige."
"Pretty is as pretty does." Nancy replied.
"Huh?"
"It's an old expression that my mother used. It means that if she is really nice, she will act that way. Girls are only pretty if they are pretty all the way through, not just on the surface."
"You're still mad at me for breaking up with Dan! How could you want me to be queer?"
"Cory, I've only ever wanted you to be happy. You aren't happy now. You are fooling yourself. And I really don't like the way you dumped Dan without any warning. If you truly aren't gay, you could have let him down a bit easier. I thought that I taught you boys to be kind and gentle."
"But enough of that... I'm interested in your doing well in school above your love life and all the rest. No more cutting classes! And I don't want you coming home smelling of marijuana smoke. Don't give me that look. I know what it smells like. I knew kids in college who did it and flunked out. I'm not having my son drop out of society. If necessary, I'll test you for drugs every week. I'll stand in the bathroom while you pee in a jar so that you can't bribe your brother into giving a specimen for you!"
Nancy was on a roll, and Cory believed that she would do just as she threatened. He would have to be very careful not to arouse her suspicions again. He wanted to run to his room and slam the door, but he went quietly.
Why the Hell couldn't she treat him like an adult! Why did she have to be so controlling?
Jamie came into Cory's room later to hang out with him for a few minutes, but Cory told him to go away and leave him alone.
"Shit," Jamie yelled. "I wish you were like you used to be when you were going with Dan."
"What the fuck is this? Everyone wants me to be a fucking fag."
"I just want you to be fucking human!" Jamie retorted before retreating to his own room.
Nancy overheard the exchange. She didn't like to hear their crude language, but she had had enough confrontation for one night so she chose to ignore it. She was pretty sure that Cory was running with the wrong crowd and she hoped that he would see the light before she had to take drastic action. She would talk to his counselor tomorrow and see about getting to the bottom of this.
Cory fell into a troubled sleep. He was frustrated. He couldn't seem to work up the desire to make out with Paige unless he was high. He needed that to make him horny enough to want her. Shit!
In his dreams, Dan came to him. Dan's lips felt sensuous as they kissed. A kind of electricity passed through him. Dan definitely knew how to kiss.
Cory reveled in the warmth of his buddy's body pressed against his. He felt Dan's hands stripping him of his clothing. He sensed the stickiness of Dan's pre-cum as their bodies melted into each other. His heart pounded loudly in his chest as Dan began thrusting his hips in a rhythmic motion. Dan's tongue was wrestling with his. Cory felt his juices rise. The sensation worked up from his toes to his groin. Cory pushed up toward his lover in a final grind. His seed spewed freely from his over-stimulated cock.
He awoke from his dream to find a sticky mess in his briefs. Luckily, he had been too tired to take them off and sleep nude as he usually did. He stuck his hand into the pouch scooping up a portion of his essence. He sucked it off of his fingers before he consciously thought about what he was doing. The dream was still very real in his mind. He cried himself back to sleep.
The sessions with Lori Evans were making Dan feel much better. It seemed like he was simply visiting with a friend. He never felt like she was trying to get inside of his head. He was beginning to socialize more and was taking fewer pills. Lori was having him withdraw from the medication in a slow, but steady way.
There was a party being given out by the reservoir at the home of one of his classmates. Nearly everyone in his class was invited, so he decided it would be fun to go even if he did run into Cory. Sooner or later, he was going to have to face that situation or give up basketball for the rest of his time in high school. Initially, he had decided to quit, but in his heart, he really wanted to play.
The party began in the late afternoon with the host kid's parents grilling hot dogs and burgers. They were pretty well off and had furnished everything for the event. There were plenty of soft drinks and lots of chips.
Cory was there with Paige. Dan didn't think that the girl had been invited, but must have been allowed in as Cory's date. Cory didn't look that happy, but tried to put up a good front when he noticed Dan looking his way. Despite their breakup, Dan still worried about Cory's welfare.
When darkness began to descend, there was a big bonfire. After it got going, the parents retreated to their house about a hundred yards away on the property. It was then that the kids began taking trips into the woods. There was a keg hidden back there that the boy's older brother had gotten for him. They had kept it secret from their parents.
Dan knew better than to get involved with alcohol. It wasn't that he wouldn't have liked a beer, but he was on medication that specifically warned against using alcohol while taking it. Besides, he could never get the picture of his drunken parents out of his mind. He wasn't going down that road.
It was getting close to the time when Dan thought he should be going home. He had been having fun hanging out with some of the guys on his team, but it was late. As he began heading for his car, he saw Paige running toward her vehicle with Cory staggering behind.
"Wait, damn it! How am I supposed to get home?" Cory called to the retreating figure.
Paige didn't listen, but tore out of the drive throwing gravel and grass toward the other parked cars. Cory sat on the ground and wept. He was a sorry mess and he really didn't care who saw him.
"Come on, Bud, I'll take you home," Dan offered.
"Why the Hell would you want to do that?" Cory retorted.
"Because you are my friend and you need help."
"I don't want your pity!"
"I didn't offer any pity; I just offered you are ride." Dan said evenly.
"Okay, I could use one, but don't get any ideas."
Dan bit back the response that came to mind as he took his former lover's arm to steady him as they walked to the car. They got in and Dan had to fasten Cory's seatbelt because the boy was too far gone to deal with it.
They rode in silence for about five minutes before Cory yelled:
"I'm gonna be sick!"
Dan pulled over and unfastened Cory's belt in the nick of time. Cory barely got the door open and his head out of the car before he puked his guts out. The sound of his heaving nearly made Dan ill too.
When Cory's system settled down again, Dan proceeded to head for Bentonville. At the edge of town, he stopped and pulled out his cell phone.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm calling your mom. You can't go home like this, she will ground you forever. Besides, I don't want her to see you in this condition. You're going home with me."
"I suppose you think I'm so drunk that you will be able to have sex with me."
"No, right now the thought is disgusting. I'm putting you in one of the guest rooms and I'm not even sleeping in the same room."
At those words, Cory turned to look out of the passenger window so that Dan wouldn't be able to see the tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Mrs. Fordham, this is Dan. -- Okay, Mom, this is your other son. -- Yeah -- Cory is with me and he's going to stay over at my house if that's cool with you. -- No, I didn't say that. -- He's right here if you want to talk to him."
Dan handed his phone to Cory who did his best to answer his mother's questions without slurring too much. He suspected that she knew he had been drinking, but he was relieved that she didn't ask him outright. When he ended the call, they were nearly at Dan's house. Cory wasn't sure how he would be treated by the other residents. Damn! Why had he screwed up his life so badly?
Author's note: If you want to thank Wal-Mart for standing up for the rights of gays and lesbians, the contact info from the AFA is posted below:
Rob Walton, Chairman Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 702 Southwest 8th Street Bentonville, AR 72716 Primary Phone: 1-800-925-6278 Fax: 479-277-2473 E-Mail: Rob Walton, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc
Thanks to Tim, Tom H. and David S. who edited this chapter. Each found something that needed fixing. Thanks to all who wrote since the last posting. These include (in addition to the editors): Joe, Rad, Mike K, Bill, Jim We, Jim Wi, Jim C, Jon (Joe Nathan), RC, Carroll, Paul, Charles, Burt, Brian S, and Phillip. Phillip is planning to launch a story of his own in November!
If you write to me in the next few days, I will not be able to answer immediately as I will be out of town and my access to a computer will be limited.
Please remember this nation and our world on the 5th anniversary of the destruction in New York. I pray that it will all be sorted out someday and that people of different religions and aspirations can life peacefully together.
Remember that Islam in its pure form is supposed to be about peace. Don't blame acts of violence of all who practice that religion anymore than you would want all Christians to be judged by the actions of Fred Phelps!
Peace, David